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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25128541">Plucked Roses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crysy/pseuds/Crysy'>Crysy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Together, forever. [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:00:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25128541</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crysy/pseuds/Crysy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Kuroo Tetsurou is a wandering spirit in the realm of mortals, walking, walking, walking for the last few months since he died. Yet, the last thing he expects is to meet a Grim Reaper, an attractive one at that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kuroo Tetsurou &amp; Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Together, forever. [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Plucked Roses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He hated flowers. Kuroo absolutely <em>despised</em> flowers. It felt like the flowers that surrounded the land could read into his soul, scaring him into entering the Afterlife. Even after a few months of wandering around the mortal realm, Kuroo was still bearing his hatred for those… dreadful abominations. He could still remember the day he saw his casket full of white lilies, how the flowers seemed to eat away at his lifeless body. Oh, how sickening that felt, he was glad that it was in a third person view, that he did not have to experience lying in a sea of flowers.</p><p>But those goddamn flowers, they had now become a part of him. Kuroo was dressed in a white suit, with a white lily placed neatly in his breast pocket. How irritating. When would the Grim Reaper or some external force send him to the afterlife, he wondered. After all, he had been playing the waiting game for about a few months now. Watching people live and die was getting boring already, was there no other plaything to satisfy him while Death took their time to get him?</p><p>
  <em> And suddenly, he felt like he was an invading thorn in Death’s garden, in the world that he was now trespassing. </em>
</p><p>Red. Red. Red. All Kuroo could see was red. It felt so warm like blood, but then again, he was dead, so there was no way it was blood. “Wake up sleeping beauty.” Half-conscious, Kuroo’s mind refused to listen to him, forcing his body in the plethora of red. It felt comforting.</p><p>“Kuroo, wake up.”</p><p>Wait, was someone talking to him? Who could possibly see him? Jolting up, Kuroo turned to face the source of the voice.</p><p>
  <em>Gorgeous. </em>
</p><p>In normal circumstances, Kuroo would’ve came up with a retort, pissed off whoever dared to wake him up from his beauty sleep, and get out of there. But this wasn’t a normal circumstance. This was an angel. The boy facing him had beautiful golden locks of hair, a perfectly proportioned face that would look ethereal with a smile, spectacles even though he seemed like he would have 20/20 vision either way, and that ass, oh that ass was stunning.</p><p>“Fuck! Stop staring at my ass pervert!” That angelic voice again, even swearing sounded like music to his ears. Kuroo gave the boy a confused look. Now that he looked clearly, the boy had a scowl on his face, his death glare looked colder than the South Pole.</p><p>“You looked sexy when you’re angry.”</p><p>“<em>Perish.</em>” Was all that came out of the boy’s mouth. It was their first interaction, but the boy seemed like he was used to Kuroo’s antics. And it all seemed so natural somehow, like what Kuroo just said was the first thing the boy had expected to hear.</p><p>Feeling red petals- Wait, red petals? Looking down, Kuroo realized that the comfortable patch of red was in fact roses. How did those aggressive flowers feel like they were full of warmth before? So he got up, not wasting any second in avoiding contact with the flowers that lay at his feet.</p><p>“You’re afraid of flowers. Didn’t think you were such a kid. Didn’t mommy tell you that flowers won’t bite?” The boy immediately sent a retort with that cute, little mouth of his. Damn, was this beauty full of salt or what? Kuroo just <em>had</em> to fight back.</p><p>“Damn, what bit you? Death? Must’ve been hard when he decided you weren’t worth his time too.”</p><p>
  <em>It felt like he was, once again, a thorn. But now he was intruding in the boy’s garden, and it felt like the sin was burning him. </em>
</p><p>The boy’s gaze hardened. Kuroo shivered. Since when was this place so cold? The roses that were at his feet suddenly seemed to bite at him, the air felt like it was puncturing his lungs. The boy’s gaze held him to the ground, like a tiger watching its prey.</p><p>“Okay I’m sorry, just stop staring at me like that, please?” His voice sounded squeaky, like he was begging. The boy’s gaze finally softened.</p><p>“Don’t joke around like that.”</p><p>“Okay, I won’t. Sorry. I didn’t think it’d piss you off <em>that</em> much. This question shouldn’t anger you as much, what’s your name?”</p><p>“Tsukishima.”</p><p>“Just Tsukishima? Where am I?”</p><p>“Yes, just Tsukishima. You’re in a rose garden, clearly.”</p><p>“Why are you here?”</p><p>“I’m a Grim Reaper.”</p><p>
  <em> Intrusive, he felt intrusive. As if he was wasting a so-called Grim Reaper’s time that could’ve been spent finding purer souls. </em>
</p><p>“Oh. Is that so? Why waste your time on someone like me then? And bringing me to a rose garden? You must’ve had a personal grudge against me, placing me in a place full of flowers.”</p><p>His question seemed to surprise the boy – Tsukishima – as his eyes widened the tiniest bit, his lips twitching helped Kuroo identify that Tsukishima was taken aback.</p><p>“You hate flowers?”</p><p>“I hate flowers.” Kuroo was about to continue rambling about his ever-longing hatred for flowers when he saw the boy- no, Tsukishima’s expression. He wasn’t scowling anymore, nor was he smiling. He looked <em>solemn</em>, as if he had lost something precious. At that moment, Kuroo was compelled to give him a hug. He fought against that thought, of course. No one would try to initiate physical contact just a few minutes after knowing someone, dead or not. But the thought felt familiar, like hugs with Tsukishima was a daily routine.</p><p>“You okay? You look sad.” Kuroo cursed at himself. Why bother stating the obvious? Tsukishima obviously looked sad, but pointing it out wasn’t going to help.</p><p>“I’m fine. I’m just here to do my job.”</p><p>“Your job?”</p><p>“Sending you to the Afterlife.” Oh. So this boy was truly an angel. Wait, that’s not right. Kuroo wasn’t necessarily going to heaven. Hell? Which side of the coin was he on? The questions swirled in his mind, threatening him to spill.</p><p>“So, do you remember anything from before you died?” The sudden question snapped Kuroo out of his thoughts.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Tell me about it.”</p><p>“I was in a casket with a ton of white lilies. I hated seeing that though.”</p><p>“What about your life? Do you remember?”</p><p>“My life?”</p><p>… <em>No</em>. No he didn’t remember. Had it been too long for him to latch on to a trace of his memories? Kuroo couldn’t remember. He dove deep into his head, trying to pull a memory out of that useless brain of his. Memory. Remember. A dull pain echoed in his head, bringing him back to reality.</p><p>“It’s fine. Don’t try to force yourself to remember.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t be. Not everyone remembers their past lives.”</p><p>“Is there a way to remember?”</p><p>“You either choose to forget, or you remember after trying hard enough. Regardless, you still move on to the Afterlife, so many decide to forget, since the latter takes more work.”</p><p>“What about you? Do you remember anything?”</p><p>
  <em>And it was back. The question made him feel unwanted. As if the world would’ve been a better place without him, and that this boy that stood in front of him would’ve have been happier.</em>
</p><p>Tsukishima looked <em>startled</em>. He paused. Stared at the sea of roses littered beneath them, silent. Silence continued. Kuroo stared. Waited for an answer. The air seemed to weep while the roses stopped fluttering, no longer trying to see through him. The despondent atmosphere made Kuroo feel guilty. Like he had caused Tsukishima to remember something he wanted to lock away forever. The rose garden seemed noisy, filled with the drowned sorrows of the boy who stood in front of him.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. It was insensitive of me.”</p><p>An attempt to salvage what remained of their acquaintance. Tsukishima <em>chuckled</em>. The roses seemed to come back to life. The air now welcoming again. But the solemn, lonely atmosphere stayed. It felt like sarcasm. Which was befitting for Tsukishima. This rose garden, it was so like Tsukishima. Never would have Kuroo thought that roses were beautiful, but just a few minutes with Tsukishima led him to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could come to love flowers again.</p><p>Again?</p><p>“Yes. Again. You used to love flowers. White lilies in particular.”</p><p>No way. He <em>hated</em> flowers. Especially those damned white lilies. Kuroo was convinced that he despised flowers his whole life. But, Tsukishima had proven to him that he couldn’t remember his life at all. Was it true? Did he really love flowers when he was alive?</p><p>“I don’t have a reason to lie to you.”</p><p>“How are you reading my thoughts?”</p><p>“We’re dead. Anything is possible, don’t you think?”</p><p>“Who are you? Why can’t I remember?”</p><p>There it was again. The look on Tsukishima’s face like he was about to cry. There it was again. The rose garden weeping. There it was again. The feeling that Kuroo got, the desire to hold Tsukishima in his embrace. There it was. The memory Kuroo was unconsciously still finding, after months of wandering. But he couldn’t reach for it. Something, someone, was stopping him from reaching it.</p><p>“Are you doing this? Are you stopping me from remembering? Why?”</p><p>Questioning Tsukishima seemed like the most viable option at the moment. The more answers he got, the better.</p><p>“This rose garden. You used to bring me here all the time.”</p><p>“Don’t change the subject.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>The roses danced, as though they agreed to Tsukishima’s comment, urging Kuroo. They continued. Kuroo’s head hurt. It hurt. The roses felt ecstatic. He could only feel pain, <em>pain</em>, <span class="u"><em>pain</em></span>, <span class="u"><strong><em>pain</em></strong></span>. Why?</p><p>“Aren’t these roses beautiful? You used to sing about how roses were fitting for me. Attractive, but filled with thorns that can stab someone. But once you looked past that, you could truly admire the beauty that lies behind the thorns. You used to tell me that. I wonder if you’ll ever tell me that once more.”</p><p>Ah, there it was. He could finally reach out to it. Did he truly want to remember though? Was it really worth it? Should he just forget? Insecurities and doubt plagued his mind. Now, when what he was searching for these past few months was finally in his grasp. Why? Why was he questioning himself? Was it a sign that he should forget? Maybe he should just stop. Maybe he should <em>forget</em>-</p><p>“You’re always like this. Go for it. You never know if you don’t try.”</p><p>And he tried. Kuroo tried. All because he heard Tsukishima, someone he barely knew, utter those words. The words that Kuroo never expected for Tsukishima to, in a <em>million</em> years, say them. But Tsukishima did. And Kuroo was going to try and get back his memories if Tsukishima told him to try. Because he was important. Important? Ah, so that’s what it was.</p><p>Tsukishima was <strong>important</strong> to him.</p><p>And at that moment, memories with Tsukishima, no- <em>Kei</em>, rushed through Kuroo’s head. The first time they met, in the spacious gymnasium with volleyball nets lined up for spiking practice. The first time Kuroo found Kei intriguing, his salty exterior doing well to cover up all his insecurities, all those demons. The first time Kuroo found Kei cowering in the dark corner of the washroom nearest to the very gymnasium they did night practice in. The first time Kei confessed to Kuroo, through a playlist named ‘I love you’, filled with – obviously – cheesy love songs that Kei knew Kuroo would adore. Many firsts that came after, their petty arguments, their declarations of love that always went overboard, everything. All of it. Now. In Kuroo’s mind.</p><p>“Aren’t these roses beautiful? They’re fitting for you, Kei.”</p><p>And in the next second, Kuroo was in a tight bear hug initiated by none other than <em>his</em> Kei. He could feel Kei’s tears stain his white shirt, could feel Kei’s warmth wrapped around him, could feel Kei’s mumbles of <em>‘I love you I love you I love you’</em> as if Kuroo would disappear any moment. Well, he did. He disappeared from Kei once when he died. That will never happen again, was Kuroo’s silent promise to his lover, his Kei.</p><p>“Do you want to know how I brought you here?”</p><p>Kuroo nodded, curious to know how Kei brought him to this rose garden, <em>their</em> rose garden, and why he didn’t do it before.</p><p>“I made a deal. With the real Grim Reaper. A thousand souls. If I could peacefully send a thousand pure souls to the Afterlife in the span of half a year, I would be able to find you. The Grim Reaper wouldn’t touch you and we’d go to the Afterlife together. If someone else didn’t corrupt you first.”</p><p>Silence. The silence was <em>deafening</em>. It was loud and it hurt Kei’s ears. <em>Fear</em>. The fear that Kuroo would hate him engulfed his entire being in that split second. But all Kuroo did was hug tighter. Because Kuroo knew how much it hurt Kei to see souls being sent to the Afterlife. Afterall, Kei was the nicest person deep down that thorny exterior. If Kuroo’s soul was not in the deal, Kei would’ve never done it. So he hugged tighter, embraced Kei fully in his arms, and never let him go.</p><p>“Let’s go. You’ve been waiting, haven’t you? For this moment.”</p><p>The slight movement from Kei was Kuroo’s signal, to hold Kei’s hand as they let the roses seal them in a spring of red, leading them to the Afterlife.</p><p>“I love you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I just started this on a whim so I have no idea but feedback is appreciated and yeah. So sorry for the unclear writing but basically the rose garden mentioned in the story was a place that Kuroo and Tsukki used to go all the time when they were alive, it was their favourite place. Horrible attempt at developing this story but hope someone enjoys this.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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